Halfway Point!

So I have now officially reached the halfway point in this journey ^^ I’ve been in Japan for over 6 months now, and have 6 months left to go! I can’t believe it’s been so long, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve lived here forever!

I’ve been focusing a lot on my social life recently, but in this post I want to focus more on school and everyday things.

For those of you who want to teach in Japan, it’s good to know that the school terms are different from in the UK. School finishes at the end of March, and then we have Golden Week, the first week of April, when most Japanese have holidays and travel.

March is a busy time, whether you are working in a public or private school. For ALTs, it’s usually the end of their contract, so they can either try and renew, or move on. I’ve heard that in this area, the government is cutting the number of ALTs- not sure if it’s economical or what. My contract is different- like most private schools, I was hired for a year, so my term is August to August. If you want to come to Japan to teach in public schools, Feb/March is the time to look.

If you work in an Eikaiwa like me, you will see a big turnover of students. There can be many reasons for this- financial, students moving to International schools, their workload being too heavy, etc. March is a busy time because as we lose students, we have to try and replace them. My role in this is to usually have parents watch my classes so they can determine if they want their child to enroll. This can be stressful and intimidating for some teachers. I’ve found the best method is to plan your lesson fully so there are no gaps, then ignore the adult in the room. It will distract the students however, so you have to be engaging and keep bring their attention back to the lesson in hand.

I’m going to make a youtube vid about lesson planning and games for ESL, so keep an eye out for that on my channel, KawaiiKekeChan07!

In terms of everyday Japan, there is a lot happening after New Year. Valentine’s Day is big here, though slightly different from the Western version. The 14th of February is reserved for women giving to men only. For work colleagues, there is “obligatory chocolate”. Many women spend lots of money on this tradition. Luckily foreigners are not expected to! As I’m the only teacher in my school, I didn’t have to worry about this.

Then there is the chocolate you give to boyfriends, crushes etc. Handmade chocolate is a big deal, and is usually what girlfriends give. Unlike back home, Valentine’s day focuses mainly on chocolate- stores here make most of their profit on confectionery on this one day! You literally can’t move in the supermarket for boxes of the stuff.

Then, one month later- March the 14th- is White Day. Again, this is a uniquely Asian concept. This is when the men who received chocolate must return the favour. Apparently it’s a popular day for confessions, too. White Day is not just limited to chocolate however- other gifts can be given. The left over chocolate from V day is re-marketed for White Day so commercially it’s quite clever!

Another day to note is Girl’s Day- Hinamatsuri- or Doll’s Day on the 3rd of March. I knew of this day, however I didn’t realise it was such a big deal. Beautiful dolls are put out on display- unfortunately I didn’t see any in real life but I saw the pictures. It’s also traditional to give small gifts to girls, something I wasn’t aware of and took me by surprise! I received a lot of candy from friends and students. My favourite was my seven year old T presenting me with freshly baked croissants from a local shop- they were delicious!

Cute candy for girl’s day! Wish I could say it tasted as good as it looked!

The weather has changed drastically in the last few days. We’ve went from freezing cold to high in the 20’s over the weekend. I was helping my friend to make a short movie, and was wearing Lolita. The weather was incredible- like the hottest day we would get in a Scottish summer. Needless to say I was overheating in my layers! I will post links when the film is completed!

Then on Sunday the famous Gunma wind whipped up. They were gale force and it was a task just to try and get my food shopping! Tokyo turned brown due to dust/pollution (still being debated) so I’m glad I wasn’t there that weekend!

There’s been a lot of cold and flu bugs circulating recently. Despite taking vitamin drinks and constantly sanitizing my hands, I caught a bad one. I experienced my first Japanese fever which was not fun! Luckily I had brought lots of medicine from back home. Stock up on paracetamol and cough medicine before you come to Japan- the medicines here are much weaker than what we are used to!

In Japan you will be constantly asked if you want to go to the doctors or hospital when you have even a basic cold. My boss kept asking me, but I didn’t want the hassle. I also couldn’t take a day off, being the only teacher, so my sickness dragged on longer than usual!

I’ve been busy most weekends, spending a lot of time in Izakaya, traditional Japanese bars with cheap food and alcohol. These are a must when you visit Japan- I’ve spent many a good night in these places!

As well as Oden, a staple Japanese hot pot eaten in the winter, Nabe is also another popular food for this time of the year. Some people have Nabe parties, a gathering usually around the kotatsu (a low table with a built in heater). Nabe is essentially a big pot with a bit of everything- tofu, cabbage, meat, mushrooms etc. I got to go to my first Nabe party this weekend, and it was a lot of fun, very authentically Japanese!

Nabe party!

We’ve finally entered Spring, the only Japanese season I’ve yet to experience, and the one I’m most excited about! The Ume (plum blossoms) have already made an appearance. Although these white flowers are beautiful, they are no match for the pink Sakura (cherry blossoms). Soon it will be the start of Hanami- literally cherry blossom viewing parties. People head to parks with picnics and sit under the trees. It’s something I’m really excited for- I can’t wait to wear a yukata again!

White Ume (plum) blossoms

The other cool thing about Japan is all the seasonal food and drink. Ice cream, candy, soda, alcohol, crisps- you name it, when the season changes, a new variation will pop up. My favourite has been all the fruit flavoured alcohols. Only about 150 Yen a can, they are sweet tasting and fun! My favourite is the strawberry and cream ^^

Strawberry, cherry and peach alcohol!

I’ve still not cemented my plans for Golden Week, but I’m really looking forward to the break! I’m hoping to visit some of the famous hot springs of Gunma, and maybe go to Disneyland. The International Anime Expo is on the 23rd and 24th so I’ll be staying in Tokyo that weekend. I’m excited to properly cosplay in Japan and attend my first con here! There will be many pics and vids to follow! ^^

Afros…and Ginza

Hey everyone! It’s been a while again! I guess that’s a good sign, shows how busy I have been!

I can’t believe it’s already February! I’ve quickly settled back into my routine. Work has been hectic because my boss has been busy elsewhere, so I’ve been left pretty much in charge.

I’ve mentioned before about one of my difficult classes. It’s 2nd thing on a Monday so not a great start to the week. One boy R has been really acting up- refusing to speech English, pick up a pencil or participate in games. He ignored me completely and wound up the other kids to the point it was impossible to teach. Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, discipline in Japanese schools has pretty much disappeared. My boss had quiet words with said boy on a number of occasions, but nothing was working. Finally she called his father. I hoped that would improve things, but nothing changed. After a particularly stressful lesson, I finally broke down. My boss was pretty shocked (she thinks I’m pretty mature and calm) but I think it finally made her realise how bad the situation was. Thankfully she called the parent again and they agreed he should leave the school. I felt bad, but it was clear the boy didn’t want to study English. I had been trying different techniques for 6 months, and finally I had to give in. It was a depressing thing, but I had to put myself first, and also the other students in the class who were suffering from his antics.

Last weekend was United’s (the foreigner bar in Ota) 3rd anniversary, so they had a themed night to celebrate. The theme was afros, so I picked up a kinda cute one up in Donki.

I met my friend Ayako beforehand, and we went to a lovely Izakaya. They are like the Japanese versions of “pubs” expect much more refined. Very traditional, decked out in tamami mats and low tables. This Izakaya was one of the most beautiful I had visited. I arrived later, and they had ordered lots of amazing food. I wish I hadn’t eaten dinner before I had went! I only tried a few things, but they were so delicious! I had sashimi and oyster.

Japanese feast!

I was given a black afro so we could all take a group photo- it was pretty funny.

All dem Afros!

Then we moved onto United bar, which was the busiest I’d ever seen it! Everyone was wearing afros which was a great talking point! I got talking to lots of new people, which is the great thing about these types of bars, as most people can speak some level of English! There was live music too, which was good.

After midnight, it was officially Sestubun, a New Year tradition in Japan where you throw beans to get rid of demons. So we all traipsed outside, still wearing afros and each received a handful of beans. It was so cold, and the famous Gunma wind was blowing. Some poor guy put on the oni (demon) mask and we all threw beans at him. It was one of those really surreal and authentic Japanese moments that make me love this culture even more!

After we had outstayed everyone else, the plan was to hit karaoke, but it was so cold and too far to walk. Instead we ended up in an Izakaya near the station. I could tell the guy working there wasn’t too impressed by all us drunken gaijin! Still we had a good time, and finally called it a night around half 3 and got a taxi home.

I had to loli up my afro!

I woke up with a cold, but luckily I brought back so much medicine from home, so I was only under the weather for a few days. There has been a lot of cold and flu going about, so a few students have been absent.

This weekend I got to head back to Tokyo. It was one of my Lolita friend A’s birthday, so we headed to Ginza, the really upper class part of town. I managed to get there with time to spare which was a first! I also got to wear Cinema doll for the first time in public, which made me super happy.

We went to Laudree, the famous Parisian patisserie. We had a table reserved in the restaurant, which was beautiful, the perfect place for ladies who lunch! The menu was so extensive, but because we had booked a table, we had to have a certain set including lunch, desert and tea. It worked out good value for what we were getting. I had pork to begin with, which was the nicest I’ve had in Japan. Then the best part- I had a rose flavoured macaroon with raspberries. It was literally bursting with flavour and so beautiful! The rose and fruit tea complimented it perfectly. I don’t think my taste buds have ever been so happy before!

One of the rare occasions something tasted as good as it looked!

After we finished, we went to the Sony Building, which was massive and full of tech. They had the biggest TV I’ve ever seen! There was also a beautiful camera on half price sale, with Mt Fuji engraved! Even though my camera is new and perfectly good, I wanted it too! My friend Mi gave in and got one in pink!

Next we headed to Harajuku to take some Puri and wander about the shops. I got some accessories from closet child to go with Sweetie Chandelier, but unfortunately no blouse!

New Lolita skirt!

All the walking and shopping made us hungry again, so we stopped for some pancakes and tea. Unfortunately after Laudree I’m going to compare every tea to that amazing one I had there!

For some reason my journey home took ages- ended up taking four trains which was a nightmare. I was so tired when I got home, so happy to have a bath and get to bed!

I love that we’re all wearing Angelic Pretty!

I managed to find hair extensions that match my colour perfectly! So much easier than trying to cram my long hair under a wig. The only problem is they are really heavy and start to hurt after a while!

It’s a national holiday here so I’ve got Monday off, which is always a great start to the week! Next month I’m heading to my first Anime con, so I’m sure I’ll have lots to talk about!

Home and back again…

Hi everyone! It’s been a long time. I hope you all had a Happy Christmas and New Year!

Christmas was a lot bigger in Japan than I thought it would be. Like back home, it’s became a retail opportunity, with the shops full of decorations and gifts. I spent the last ten minutes of every lesson teaching about Christmas, and then for our last week, held parties. It was a tiring time, because I had to think up of a lot of different games and activities for all the different levels (from ages 4 to 14). I was glad when the week was over, and could head back home.

The weekend before I finished up, I went to Tokyo for my friend Mi’s birthday. There was also a lolita meet up. It rained as usual and everyone was running late- it was just one of those days. After some shopping we headed to Christie cafe where I had some lovely cinnamon toast and tea. We did a secret Santa which was really fun- I got a cute pirate arpakasso and cow plush and a pink ring.

I wore my Antique Clock coord, which I’ve been dying to wear for a while. I love the mint and brown colorway!

Afterwards we took pictures and did some more shopping. I bought the AP Cinema Doll ring, which I’d had my eye on for a while! We had to leave soon after because we had to check in to the hotel. Hopefully I’ll get to spend the full day with the girls next time!

We got a great group photo!

We got changed and met Mi’s friend R for dinner- but as it was a Sat night, everywhere was full. We ended up eating in the karaoke and the food was good.

I finally got to visit Roppongi, the well known clubbing area of Tokyo. As I’ve mentioned before, Japanese youngsters aren’t as club crazy as we are back home, so it’s difficult to find a club. Roppongi is luckily club packed, though most of them are small, and all of them play Western music. It was so busy that after an hour in a club we would hop to the next one. Luckily some of the clubs were free entry for girls so it wasn’t as expensive as I’d dreaded! The big difference in Japan is smoking is allowed- it’s not as noticeable as it was back home before the ban, but you tend to leave the club smelling of smoke.

We were drawing a lot of attention, as always being gaijin girls, though it helped we had a Japanese guy with us. At one point, some Japanese guys got chatting to me. It’s hard enough to converse with guys in a club back home over the loud music, never mind in a club in Roppongi where you barely speak the language. Some how I got by and had a good night, despite some eejit trying to set me up with everyone of his pals. (Finally I told him if he wanted them to pull that bad, he should do it himself. To his credit, he did. Though they were right in front of my face, which was a bit freaky!)

We called it a night about 3ish, and headed back to the hotel. There was a handy combini below, so I got some food before crashing into bed.

The next day was my first wandering about Tokyo myself. I did quite well for a few hours, until it came to locating my locker again in Shinjuku station, which is HUGE. I knew exactly where my locker was, I just couldn’t seem to get to it, the way the gates worked out. Finally after a bit of googling, I worked it out and headed home. I finally got a Suica card, which is like a prepaid pass for the train. It’s handy because you can charge it up with money and swipe it through the gates. It saves fiddling for coins and trying to work out your fare every step of the way.

Finally it came time to head home for Christmas! I was super excited, but not so thrilled about the journey awaiting me. I never thought about it, but it was stupid to book a night flight. I tried to have a long lie, but only managed until 10.30am. My boss picked me up at 1pm for my bus, which took about 3 hours to the airport. It was nice to see other parts of Japan, because the first time I took the bus I was out of it!

I arrived at the airport with hours to kill, to got a few last minute Christmas presents, and a cute diary for myself. The queue to check in took ages. By the time I got something to eat, I felt tired, which was not good as I still had such a long journey ahead of me.

I was happy to get a aisle seat for my first flight, the 12 hour trip from Tokyo to Dubai. I passed time watching Disney movies. The guy next to me was an older gent in a full suit reading a newspaper. However, when the drink cart came, it became obvious he was going to milk Emirates for all they were worth. Throughout the long flight, he continued to order red and white wine, punctuating breaks with beer in between. Of course, he had to get up to the toilet every minute, making me move for him without even a thanks. Even the guy opposite me was getting annoyed at his antics. Soon he was sitting, listening to Elvis, dancing in his seat. Just as well I can’t sleep on planes anyway, because I wouldn’t have gotten a wink.

The 2nd flight was better. The plane was full of Scots, and it was nice to hear the accent after so long. Although tired, I still couldn’t sleep, too excited to see my family.

I won’t go into all the details, but I had a great two weeks back home. We had a lovely, family Christmas, and I spent a great New Years Eve with my girls. I got to see many friends and had far too many nights out!

It was harder leaving my family this time, than the first. I think maybe because I was so excited the first time around, to start my adventure. This time, I knew what I was coming back to, and even though I know I’m lucky to have this chance to live in Japan, it was hard leaving my family behind.

My flights back to Japan were thankfully shorter due to a tail wind. I got talking to a guy on the first flight so that helped pass time. My boss was pleased to see me and I was happy to crawl into bed. Not too happy that I had work the next day, but I knew that had to be done in order for me to have Christmas with my family.

Unfortunately the lack of rest meant my jet lag was horrific. I’ve never had it that bad before- my appetite disappeared, my sleeping pattern was whacked and I felt like bursting into tears every few minutes.

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough, and although I planned to rest up, it didn’t quite work out that way. My friend Steve’s birthday was on the Friday night, so after work I got a lift with Chris and we met them all at the karaoke. I’m glad I went- even though I didn’t drink, I had a good time with a good bunch of people. It helped take my mind off home.

Group photo at karaoke!

I was working the next day to make up for the classes I had missed due to my holiday, but it went better than I expected. I rewarded myself by heading to the cinema to check out the new Hunter x Hunter film, an anime I’ve been following for a while. The manga-ka who created it is one of my favourites, so it was a big deal for me to get to see the film the first day it was out. I got a free copy of Kurapika’s one shot with my ticket, which was a nice surprise! The film was great, and I’ve posted a review on tumblr- will try and make a you tube one tomorrow.

It’s surprisingly been a lot colder here than it was in Glasgow. I had quite a few bags, and after getting the bus then train was pretty tired as I walked home. I must have zoned out because suddenly there was a car crawling along side me, the window down and the guy talking to me. I took out my ipod and asked him to repeat, thinking he was maybe asking for directions (which happens to me, even though I’m a gaijin!).

I couldn’t recognise what he was saying, so I just shook my head and apologised. To my shock, he gestured for me to get in the car. I shook my head again and walked off, but he followed me, driving slowly beside me, still talking to me. Spooked, I quickly crossed the road and cut down an alley he couldn’t follow, which takes me to my apartment. Looking back, I’m not sure if he meant harm or not, but it was a freaky experience!

The next day I met Mi in Takasaki for a lolita and shopping day. The weather was lovely, so mild and the sky a clear blue, it almost felt like May! We were both wearing strawberry prints too, which made it more summery!

Mi had my Cinema Doll coord that’d she had helped me order on mbok, so I was a very happy bunny. We went to Vivre, the big shopping centre. It certainly seems that all the cute boys in Gunma live in Takasaki! >.<;

After some food, we went to Tower records, where I got the special edition of the Rurouni Kenshin DVD (first film I saw in Japan) and SNSD’s Seohyun ver of their new album I got a boy. Both were good prices, so I was really pleased! We headed back to Vivre, and went into Liz Lisa, a really popular brand here. It’s very Japanese, almost casual Lolita, with cute styles and colours. I ended up buying a Lucky Pack for 5,000 Yen (£45) which had over 20,000 Yen worth of stuff! Including a cream handbag, brown tartan playsuit, cream cardigan and sweater.

Just as we were heading home, we passed the Takasaki illuminations. It was the last day and we were lucky to see them! There were lots of Christmas trees, snowflakes and for some reason, dolphins! Lots of people wanted pictures of us because we were in Lolita, which was cute!

We changed out of our Lolita into normal clothes and got the train to Kiryu, where M lives and where the foreigners bar, Global Lounge is, that I’ve been to before. M went to dump her stuff, and I was first to arrive. It was bitter cold out, and the staff were nice enough to offer me a blanket.

The others arrived, and the bar suddenly went from empty from full! There was a large group of us, maybe ten or so. It was a good laugh, and I talked to lots of interesting people!

The next day it snowed, which I hadn’t believed would happen, despite everyone saying so. It came down quite fast, but it was much thicker in parts of Japan like Tokyo.

Thursday night was Trent’s birthday, so after work we went for some sushi. Despite looking for a cheaper 100 Yen place, we ended up in a more authentic restaurant, due to the lack of choice in our little town. But it was a happy accident, because the owner and his wife were lovely. I’m still not a massive fish fan, but I enjoyed it, and they even gave us it for so cheap because we were gaijin. We ended up staying for over three hours, because the owner was so sweet and so knowledgeable. He showed us the proper way to eat sushi (dip only the fish part in soy sauce, eat it in one without chopsticks, making the fish part touch your tongue first). It was a great experience of real Japan than not many gaijin get to see.

This weekend I’m taking it easy, because I’m super tired. I think it’s been over a month now since I’ve had a lazy weekend, so I plan to make the most of it!

Earthquakes, English teacher woes and transport troubles…again.

So, I mentioned before how a night out in Japan is very different from a night out back home. There are many reasons for this:

* Most likely, you aren’t fluent in reading and speaking Japanese, so it can be easy to get lost. Google maps is great (when it works) but trying to communicate to others (especially taxi drivers) where you want to go can be difficult.

*If like me, you’re used to regular trains, you might get a shock when you move to more rural Japan. Saturday train times are not great, and like home, Sundays are even worse.

*ATMs. This is a MASSIVE problem. Unlike in the UK, where you’re always a stone throw away from an ATM, trying to get money out in Japan is a nightmare- especially if it’s late at night/early in the morning. The combini (convenience stores like 7/11) are open 24/7, but for some stupid reason, their ATMs are not. Most taxis don’t accept card so if you don’t have the money, you’re stuck.

I’ve been in Japan for nearly four months now, but I still forget these details. I thought I’d learned my lesson after many times being caught short, but old habits die hard.

Before I fill you in on my eventful weekend, let me tell you about my week. It was pretty tough, with my kids really acting up more than usual. My voice was killing me from constantly shouting over the top of them. After a particularly bad class, I asked my boss for some advice about discipline. Her response was that I was too nice, and I should scold the kids more. I told her that I do, all the time, but they don’t care or take it seriously because there are no repercussions. M then told me I had to be more firm- ironic coming from someone who coddles the kids and rewards the noisy and bad ones with candy.

On Thursday I helped M with her University student so went home later than expected. Tired and cold, I was cycling home pretty much unaware of my surroundings. Wearing my ear muffs, I didn’t hear a dog barking until it was right beside my bike. Getting a shock, I lost control of my already wobbly bike and crashed into the fence. My far away eye sight is getting worse, and as it was pitch black (street lights are minimal) and the dog was black, it was hard to make out its shape and size. I knew it wouldn’t be a stray but the owner was no where in sight. It was barking and spitting at me, so I knew if I tried to cycle off or turn my back it would attack me. So I slowly walked backwards, not letting it out of my sight, using my bike as a shield. I finally had to abandon my bike near the rack and make a run for the door.

I, of course, cursed myself by thinking the week could get no worse. I had been feeling tremors all night and on the Friday I was ten minutes into my first class with my older kids when a big earthquake hit. I’d spend the previous two hours decorating the class for Christmas and as the kids screamed around me and we got under the tables, I watched my Christmas tree wobble from side to side. Things fell from the walls and the irony didn’t escape me that I was reassuringly my students it would be okay- despite this being my first time experiencing such a large quake, something they had seen many times before. I didn’t feel scared though, or maybe before I was more worried about them, I didn’t have time to feel scared. I think if I’d been at home alone it would have been different.

The earthquake finally stopped, and my kids were shouting at me for my iphone. I was confused at first, and just as I was about to hand it over, my boss called to check we were okay. Meanwhile the kids were in the office, firing up the laptop to find out how big the quake had been and if there was a tsunami alert. There’s no danger of tsunami in Gunma because we’re so inland and landlocked, but clearly they were worried because of what happened in March. I didn’t even try and stop them- they were too excitable, and I was curious myself. It turned out the epicenter was 7, but our quake was about 5- considered a weak one here, so goodness knows what a big one would feel like! I finally got my kids to sit down and distracted them with a Christmas quiz. There were aftershocks for many hours after, and I was dreading coming home to find anything broken. Luckily I had been too lazy to wash my dishes- so instead of leaving them to dry on top of the microwave, where they would have all fallen from and smashed, they were safe in the sink. A few of my books had fell from my shelves and my cupcake bank had been thrown from the TV, leaving a mark on the wall, but apart from that, nothing was amiss.

I thought I would have a relaxing and cheap weekend, seeing how next weekend I go to Tokyo. Of course, these things never turn out as planned!

I met up with T, a new ALT that has joined my boss’ company, and his friend S. It was a cold day, one of the coldest I’ve ever felt in Japan. It really was like a winter day in Scotland!

S was driving, so we went to the big Aeon Mall in Ota. I’d already went the weekend before to get some birthday and Christmas presents, so I wasn’t really needing to buy anything. I was just happy to have a look around. As always, I found myself at the pet store, where they have the cutest little puppies! They are soo expensive though, most pure breeds clocking in at around £1,800!!

I was surprised to feel a tug on my jacket while admiring the puppies, and turned to find two of my students, sisters Karin and Konoha. It’s the first time I’ve ever met my students out of class so it was pretty neat. (Konoha is one of my babies- she likes to sit on my knee during class and call me “Mama”).

Then we went and got something to eat in the food court. It was buzzing with all the holiday shoppers. I was surprised when I went last weekend, and saw the mall fully decorated Christmas style, with carols playing in the shops. Japan always surprises me, because I forget how Westernised it has become. Maybe ten years ago, Christmas wouldn’t have been as big a deal. But now commercialism means that Christmas needs to be celebrated. When asking my kids what they wanted from Santa, most of the replies were “the new Nintendo DS” or “Money!”. Despite the fact it’s not a public holiday, the Japanese had adapted the traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts.

We wish you a Many Christmas…apparently this campaign is all over Japan. You think they could have ran it by a foreigner first…

It was so cold, so we decided not to wander about the bars of Ota, and instead get a carry out and head to S’s apartment. We all got on well and had a good laugh about many things. After we had some drinks, S’s friend picked us up and took us to Sano, where there was a movie night taking place in someone’s apartment.

I’m always happy to meet new people, especially fellow foreigners. T is from Hawaii and S is from Guam. I was surprised how many foreigners we met for the movie night- about seven or eight people, mainly from America, though there was one English guy from Manchester. We watched Die Hard, which I’d seen ages ago but forgotten most of- and played a fun drinking game where we had to drink anytime there was a moustache or German spoken. Needless to say, I’d finished my two bottles of sake by the time the movie was over!

Me and T both live in Oizumi, and our train was just after ten, so we said our goodbyes and headed back into the cold. It was totally freezing, but I felt more sorry for T who is used to a tropical climate!

I still don’t know how we managed to miss our train- it’s hard to describe, but most stations in the rural areas only have one platform. We’d never been to Sano before, so we just assumed it was the same. As it was too cold to wait on the platform we stayed in the office. A train came, but it was over the other side of the tracks. Minutes later, with our train not in sight (Japanese trains are rarely late) we realised with a sinking feeling that the previous train had been ours- we were on the wrong platform.

There was another train in an hour’s time, so we used good old Google Maps to find a local bar. It was so cold, we went to the first we could find.

Another difficult thing about Japan is it’s hard to tell what bars are normal, and which are hostess. Host bars are more obvious, more glitzy and flashy. On first impressions, this bar looked normal, with a mixture of male and female sitting around. But as we sat down, and we received the familiar hand towels, appetizer and heard the owner be called Mama-san, we realised it was a hostess bar.

As I’ve said before, there’s nothing shady about these bars- you just pay more for excellent and attentive customer service and chat. It was too cold to move elsewhere, and since I’ve been in hostess bars before, it didn’t bother me. We were greeted warmly, and T filled them in on our situation (his Japanese is amazing). It was just nice to sit and be warm. I got roped into Karaoke so sang Your Song by Elton John, because I know the Japanese love that one. Then T and I ended up singing a duet of “I got you Babe” which was absolutely hilarious.

We worked out that getting the next train wouldn’t be possible, because the 2nd train we needed to get would have already left. So our only option was to wait it out until the first train at 5am. We were too far away to get a taxi home and neither of us had much money left. With this in mind, we decided the leave the Hostess bar, because our small stay had already cost us 2000 Yen each (£16- and we only had one drink).

They were really nice and ordered a taxi for us, and after a debate with the driver and consulting Google again, we found a manga cafe. Like the ones I’ve stayed in Tokyo, these can be used to surf the net, read manga or catch a few hours sleep. This cafe was much cheaper than Tokyo, only about a tenner for about five-six hours. We played some pool (I lost both times, I’m losing my touch!) had some ramen, then tried to catch a bit of sleep. Finally it was time to head for the first train. Then came our next problem. Although we had only walked five minutes from the train station to the hostess bar, then taken a ten minute taxi drive to the Cyber cafe, we were now a 50 minute walk from the train station, according to Google maps. I know, it really doesn’t make sense.

It was pitch black and freezing, but luckily (or so we thought) there was a combini around the corner. I went to lift money for the taxi, only to be greeted with an “out of hours” service message.

This is the same thing that happened to me in Kyoto, but I still can’t get my head around how the combini can be open, but the ATM won’t give money. Kind of like walking into Tesco back home and not being able to lift cash. It makes no sense and causes so much inconvenience!!

So, with about £8 between us, our only option was to walk for fifty minutes. If it had been the middle of summer, it might have been pleasant. As it was the middle of winter, and dark, Japanese countryside, it was literally a physical battle. I bought some heat packs and was glad I’d thought to wear my gloves and ear muffs. I was, however, wearing a skirt and tights, and knee high boots that I’d only personally reheeled that morning. I must have done a okay job, because they survived the trek.

I was better off than T, who didn’t even have a proper jacket, just a large sweater. We set off into the night, seeing parts of Japan I’ll never see or want to see again, passing graveyards and level crossings (which started to sound the alarm of a train approaching just as we were passing, giving me a near heart attack)

I was dreading my knees locking again like in Kyoto, but luckily only my left knee hurt, though I suspect it was more to do with the cold. I racked my brains to tell T all my funny stories that I’d gathered from Japan over these last few months. As much as I hate Google Maps sometimes, it did the job and we finally reached the train station, T’s mobile phone vocally confirming that “you have arrived” being one of the highlights of the night.

The sun was just starting to rise at 6am, and we watched it in the station office, mindful this time to be on the right platform. We finally got on the train, and thank God it was warm. We arrived at Tatebayashi and had a ten minute wait until our final train back home.

Photo can’t quite do it justice, was taken from the train so a bit squinty. Although it was a pretty sunrise, I’m not in a hurry to see it again!

There’s been many times I’ve been so happy to reach Higashikoizumi station- my first time back from Tokyo, the time I got lost walking home, my trip back from Kyoto- but I think this homecoming tops the list. It was a clear, blue skied day, crisp and cold. T and I parted ways, and I walked the last five minutes home. My apartment was freezing, the room temperature the coldest I’d ever seen it. I fired up the heating, had a quick cup of soup, then collapsed into bed.

Needless to say, I’m never leaving home again without-

*heat packs

*emergency taxi money

*iphone charger

Hopefully this will be the LAST time I have to write such a blog ^^;

There was a tree with wishes and hopes on it. I decided to add to it because I never intend to go back to Sano. Ever again.